Date
Type

Mideast Conference Nears, With Few Plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - November 19, 2007 - 4:21pm

A few days after Thanksgiving, President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plan to open a meeting in Annapolis to launch the first round of substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during Bush's presidency. But no conference date has been set. No invitations have been issued. And no one really agrees on what the participants will actually talk about once they arrive at the Naval Academy for the meeting, which is intended to relaunch Bush's stillborn "road map" plan to create a Palestinian state.

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Israel, Palestine, Crab Cakes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) November 19, 2007 - 4:20pm

I would like to invest hope in the Annapolis Middle East peace conference, or meeting, or parley, or whatever the term is. Really, I would. The 59-year battle for the same land of Zionist and Palestinian national movements has not been good for anyone.

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U.s. Pushes For Turnout At Middle East Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Erlanger - November 19, 2007 - 4:18pm

By pushing Israel to accept immediate negotiations with the Palestinians on the thorny “final status” issues, with the aim to conclude a peace settlement within a year, the Bush administration is trying to attract a significant Arab presence at the peace conference in Annapolis, Md. The meeting in Annapolis, now penciled in to start Nov. 26 and last less than 24 hours, is meant to begin — and bless — negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders on a final peace agreement between them, ostensibly to be completed by the end of the Bush presidency.

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Under Siege, Life In Gaza Just Shrinks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Erlanger - November 19, 2007 - 4:18pm

IT’S a miserable time to be a Gazan. EMPTY STREETS Gaza City can feel like a ghost town on a Friday morning, with its factories closed, jobs scarce and gas too expensive for many people to use. SCRIMPING Majid Ajour used to sell pigeons for $3 apiece. With the principal border crossings to Israel and Egypt closed, the price of imported feed has risen. Now he tries to sell his pigeons for nearly $4 each.

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The New York Times examines the approach by the U.S. in securing key Arab participation at the Annapolis meeting and achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by the end of the Bush administration (2.) Also in the Times, an opinion by Roger Cohen lists the many challenges facing the Annapolis meeting (3.) The Washington Post analyzes the reasons behind the delay in the U.S. issuing official negotiations to the meeting next week (4.) The Associated Press reports on American efforts to secure a comprehensive Israeli settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank (6.) The American Prospect profiles leading Palestinian non-violence advocate Reverend Naim Ateek (8.) In an interview with the Guardian (UK), Palestinian university president Sari Nusseibeh explains why a change of focus at Annapolis could lead to success in peace negotiations (10.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Gideon Levy examines how the Israeli settlement enterprise on occupied Palestinian territories has prevented any chance for peace (12.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by Rami Khouri is critical of policies meant to sow further Palestinian discord by encouraging a Fatah-Hamas confrontation (14.)

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